


Saying No

by seekeronthepath



Series: Correspondence [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Remus has issues, no infidelity, technically 5+2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 17:17:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15175550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekeronthepath/pseuds/seekeronthepath
Summary: It's perfectly obvious to Remus that getting married would be a bad idea. It just isn't as obvious to everyone else.





	Saying No

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Dire non](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18977404) by [Matteic_FR (Matteic)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matteic/pseuds/Matteic_FR)



> If you haven't read the rest of the Correspondence AU, all you need to know for this one is:  
> \- Canon mostly happened  
> \- Due to some excellent work by various badass ladies, and the knock-on effects thereof, the 'Harry-is-a-horcrux' news was known by Harry and various OotP members by mid-7th year  
> \- For similar reasons, much fewer people died in the war  
> \- After the war, Draco spent a year on probation before a delayed sentencing which sent him to Azkaban for a further twelve months. During his probation year, he was looked after by Andromeda, and spent a lot of time at Grimmauld Place

_September, 1978_

It was the night before Prongs' wedding, and the Marauders were out marauding. For tonight, and tomorrow, they were determined to pretend the war did not exist, which right now they were achieving with copious quantities of alcohol. James, as a result, was completely bloody pissed.

"...Lils is just so...so smart and I don't deserve her an' she's gonna...she's gonna  _marry_  me tomorrow!" James slurred, leaning against Sirius' shoulder.

"You bet she is," Sirius replied, slightly more coherently. He had a higher alcohol tolerance, but he'd also been feeding James more alcohol than he'd had himself. "You're gonna be awesome."

Remus, who was the designated sober person for the night, just did his best not to laugh.

(Peter was over at the bar, trying to chat someone up.)

James tilted his head backwards to look up at Sirius. "When are  _you_  gonna get married?" he asked. "Make 'im an - an honest Moony."

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly and got up. "I'm going to get you two some water," he said quietly. "You'll hate yourself in the morning otherwise."

 

\-----

 

_January, 1980_

Sirius rolled onto his side, slinging his arm over Remus' naked waist, holding him close. "Happy New Year," he murmured, smiling slightly.

"Not all that happy," Remus countered, glancing away. "War's still going." He had new scars since the last time Sirius had seen him, in places he couldn't have reached to claw himself. Certainly not to bite himself.

Sirius sighed, cupping Remus' cheek and frowning at him. "Can't we be happy together for half an hour?" he complained quietly. "This is the first time I've got to hold you in weeks. Months, almost."

"Dumbledore asked me to talk to the packs," Remus reminded him, leaning unconsciously into Sirius' touch. "And you've got your own work to do."

"James and Lily haven't been separated like this," Sirius muttered.

"James and Lily are expecting a baby."

Sirius rolled onto his back with a sigh. "So's everyone, it seems like." Alice and Frank, Molly and Arthur, Emma and Edgar...the Death Eaters were having a baby boom as well. "...are we ever going to have kids?"

Remus stiffened. "I don't know if you've noticed, Pads, but neither of us have the equipment," he joked weakly.

"I mean it, Remus," Sirius insisted. "I know that it's not the right time, even if everyone else is happy to raise a baby in the middle of a war. But someday...I want to have a family with you. Maybe I'll take your name and we can have a pack of little Lupins."

"...I need to sleep," Remus muttered awkwardly, turning away and tugging up the blankets. "I've got to be somewhere at eight."

 

\-----

 

_December, 1994_

"Are you  _sure_  you don't want to have Christmas dinner with Arthur and I?" Molly pressed, looking between Sirius and Remus. "With the younger four all at Hogwarts for the ball, we'll have more than enough room. We could do with the company, to be honest."

Remus shook his head. "No, Molly, we'll do fine on our own, though we appreciate the invitation." And what it meant. Apologetic or not, Sirius had hurt Ron, and Molly was slow to forgive any harm to her children.

"It's going to be our first Christmas together in a while," Sirius pointed out quietly. "We'd probably be terrible company."

Molly smiled warmly at him. "Oh, of course," she agreed immediately. "I can't imagine what it would be like, being separated from Arthur for so long. I'd want to marry him all over again, I think."

Sirius glanced at Remus, then told Molly, "We're fine as we are. Just still catching up with each other."

 

\-----

 

_February, 1998_

As the members of the Order of the Phoenix dispersed, Tonks took Remus aside and murmured, "I need to speak to you in private. And it really, really can't wait."

Frowning worriedly, Remus led her upstairs to the library, closing the door behind them. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She took a deep breath, her hair changing colours rapidly, as it sometimes did when she was nervous. "I'm pregnant," she finally admitted. "It's _definitely_ yours."

Remus sat down abruptly. "You're...we..."

Tonks hugged herself, watching him closely. "I know it's bloody unlikely from just the once, and we _were_ careful..."

"No, no, accidents happen, I know that," Remus murmured absently.

"Fucking awful timing for an accident," Tonks muttered. "We're in the middle of a war, I don't have _time_ to be pregnant."

Remus looked up at her, his gaze sharpening. "Are you thinking of...seeing it through, so to speak?"

Tonks shrugged. "I know it's stupid to be thinking of bringing a baby into this, but..." She sighed. "Maybe, yeah."

"We'd all be hypocrites to tell you so," Remus pointed out. "Look at Harry. He was born at the height of the last one."

"Fair point," Tonks admitted, smiling a bit. "Are you...what do you want to do?"

"I'll help, of course," he said seriously. "Whatever you need. Do you want me to marry you?"

 

There was a short, stunned silence.

"What. The actual. Fuck," Tonks said slowly. "What the _fuck,_ Remus! We fucked ONCE! As friends! Because you were out-of-your mind MISERABLE about breaking up with Sirius! _Which_ , by the way, I don't expect to last. You've been together since you were fifteen! Twelve years apart and you got right back together! The only reason you're apart right now is because you've got completely incompatible ways of dealing with Harry being a horcrux! You think an accidental sprog is going to make you any less balls-over-ass devoted to him? You'd hate me before the kid was one! No. No, I do _not_ want to marry you, and also, that was the most pathetically half-arsed proposal I've ever heard of, and if you propose to Sirius like that in a year or three, I hope he never lets you live it down."

 

\-----

 

_March, 1999_

 

Remus watched fondly as Sirius carefully settled a sleeping Teddy in his cradle and started it gently rocking. "You're good with him," he murmured.

Sirius glanced back over, a soft smile on his face. "It's easy to be good with them when they're this small," he replied, sitting down by Remus' side and leaning against him. "I'd forgotten how much I liked babies."

There were a lot of good things that Sirius had forgotten and had to rediscover; it was hard for Remus not to be bitter about it. But he couldn't meet that smile with harshness. He wrapped his arm around Sirius' shoulder and kissed his cheek. "It was good of Tonks to let us borrow him then."

"He's your son," Sirius pointed out. "It's only fair you get to babysit him now and then."

"Sirius, don't," Remus said sharply. "What do you think's going to happen if rumours start going around that he's the son of a werewolf? Especially with him being a likely heir to House Black. His life would be miserable."

Sirius frowned, pulling away somewhat. "He should get to know you."

"He will," Remus replied. "As his godfather."

 

\-----

 

_October, 1999_

Sirius had already been up and about as Padfoot when Remus came down to the kitchen that morning. It was evening now, and he hadn't changed back at all, having spent most of the day on the rug by the fire with his head on his paws. In some ways, Remus wasn't surprised. Halloween was a bitch of a day for both of them, but especially Sirius. And with Harry out of reach, and Draco in Azkaban, Remus could see how things might be reminding Sirius of the bad years. That didn't mean he could ignore it. Grimacing slightly at the ache in his joints as he did, Remus got down on the rug next to Sirius, curling around him with the familiarity of long practice. "I miss them too," he said quietly. "But you're not alone."

Sirius whuffed softly, but didn't move. Remus didn't push. He just talked quietly about the good memories they had with James, and Lily, and the ways they'd remembered them over the years. He wasn't surprised that Sirius took the day harder than he did - he'd had twelve years of practice, out in the world, when Sirius had been surrounded by misery.

 

Eventually, Sirius stood up, shook himself, and transformed back to his human form. His black eyes were deep and sad as he curled up with Remus again, holding him tight. "It hurts to be human for this," he said hoarsely.

"I know," Remus replied, stroking Sirius' hair. "Trust me, Pads, I know. But either way, I'm here."

Sirius buried his face in Remus' neck, hiding tears.

"I'll always be here," Remus murmured, his voice husky. "I won't leave you again. I promise, love. You don't have to be alone." Since Azkaban, Sirius hadn't done well with being on his own.

Sirius just squeezed him tighter, til it felt like his bones were creaking. 

"I'd even marry you if you asked, do you know that?" Remus said, kissing Sirius' hair. "Even with all the fuss people would me being a shabby, gold-digging werewolf. If you asked me, I'd do it. I'll never leave you."

 

\-----

 

_July, 2000_

Remus paced in front of the library fireplace, waiting for Sirius and Harry to come home from today's Wizengamot session. With Harry in London, he didn't have to be there as the Potter proxy, and it was a good thing too - he didn't think he could stand knowing who had voted 'no' today and still work with them. Because today they were voting on the much-revised werewolf bill, the one that all of them had been fighting for ever since the end of the war. The one that would let werewolves be legally employed outside the shadow of lordship privilege. The one that would let werewolves be guardians of their children. The one that paved the way for werewolves to have equal rights, some day in the future. And he  _didn't know if it would pass._

There was a thumping noise - someone running up the stairs - and Sirius burst into the room, beaming, catching Remus up in a hug so enthusiastic it lifted him off the ground. "We won!" he exclaimed. "We fucking  _did it,_  Moony!"

Remus' hands came up automatically, bracing himself on Sirius' shoulders. "It...it passed?" he stammered, his mind going blank.

"It passed!" Sirius insisted, leaning in to give him a deep - and thorough - kiss. "Subject to registration bullshit - which we can amend later - werewolves can get jobs, have kids, book portkeys..."

"...get married?" Remus suggested, care-worn frown lines disappearing from his face as he beamed.

"That too!" Sirius agreed, smiling back, though he looked faintly confused. "I mean, they more-or-less could anyway, it was just - "

Remus shook his head fondly. "Pads!" he interrupted. "I was hinting, you daft bugger."

Sirius' mouth dropped open, and a wave of affection broke over Remus as he tried and failed to say something. "...you were?"

Remus reached up, tucking Sirius' hair behind his ear and cupping his cheek. "I was."

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
